Moving stinks!

I hate moving. It is no fun. I stress about EVERYTHING until it's over. Luckily, it's almost over. Only today and tomorrow and then we pull out. If I can just remain sane until then. It's so sad to see your life reduced to a bunch of boxes.

The Tooth Drama

So the front view doesn't make it look that bad. I guess that helps the mommy guilt a little. Poor baby, if you even got close to his mouth, he'd flinch like you were gonna hit him.











The side view really shows how wide-spread the infection was. The big purplish bruise looking thing is all the infection build-up in the gums and cheek. He was so miserable. I just wanted to cry.

On Wednesday, Ty took him to the specialist to do the pulpotomy and I stayed home at the kids because I was sure I would ring somebody's neck and then be worried about Zach the whole time. (The office had called earlier in the day to tell me that because they hadn't run our insurance sooner, the office had closed and they couldn't verify whether we had insurance coverage or not, so the would have to re-schedule for the next day or so. Do you SEE my baby's face? That didn't fly with me! Anyway...) After they had been gone a little over an hour, Ty calls to tell me they are on the way home. This isn't good because it takes 45 minutes just to get to the office across town! Well, the specialist took one look at poor Zach's mouth and was instantly angry with the dentist who had attempted to "repair" it the first time. She said, for the first thing, he shouldn't have even tried to numb the area because all that infection in like Pac-Man and just gobbles up the anesthetic before it could do any work. That's why he couldn't get numb. Second, when a tooth is that infected at Zach's age, the best course is to just extract the tooth. It was the one covering his 6 year old molar anyway, so it's not like he'll be toothless long. Then she continued that the other 3 didn't need the pulpotomy and probably not the extraction. Their infection was largely related to the first tooth's infection and will probably go away now that he's had a full run of antibiotics and once the offending tooth was removed. So she rescheduled to Saturday when he was done with the antibiotics. We went in on Saturday and with very little trouble, we had the tooth extracted. Since then, the swelling is completely gone, and he only complains about tenderness when he's really tired! Per the specialist's order, we are waiting till we get to Idaho to get the others taken care of, if there is anything to take care of. She thought several of the "cavities" were actually only "hot spots" that could be potentially healed with brushing and a good fluoride rinse. *Fingers crossed!*

Worst Mommy Ever

Yep, that's me, the Worst Mommy EVER! It all started when we moved here two years ago. Ty's job offered no dental insurance, but since the kids and I had recently been (like 2 weeks before we left) we weren't too worried about it. A year passed and Ty got another job. This one offered dental, but it was pretty crappy coverage. So, being the great mother I am, I just kept putting off appointments for the kids. Then, two weeks ago, I got a clue and made appointments for all the kids for last Saturday. I was terrified of the horrors that awaited in my children's mouths. Tristan was 1st. No cavities, needs a couple sealings. Big whoop. Yeah Tristan, your teeth are great! *high five* Then Samantha went in. No cavities, needs one sealing, doctor recommends 2 extractions so her grown-up teeth can move in. (I am still debating whether I want him to do those, cuz won't they come out on their own?) Yeah Samantha, your teeth are great! *high five* Now, I know Zach was going to be a problem because I can see a hot spot myself, and he began complaining the day before the appointment that his tooth hurt. I was bracing myself for four cavities. Then the dentist comes out and says, "Come here, Mom, I want to talk to you about this. Zach is NOT brushing his teeth well. YOU need to be brushing his teeth every morning and night. He has 9 cavities." My mouth got tingly and my stomach got sick. "Four of these cavities are so bad they need a pulpotomy, which is basically a baby root canal." My angel baby needs four root canals? What kind of a mother allows her baby's teeth to get that bad?
We went in today to have his first one done. Zach was all excited cuz he got to go without his siblings and the dentist has movies you can watch with special glasses when he works! Wooheee! It's gonna be a party. The poor boy can't get numb! They gave him the max dose they can give and Zach was still feeling everything! We spent two hours there, just trying to prep him for the root canal. Finally, the dentist gave up. He said that if he attempted to do this, it was going to hurt and therefore cause problems with future dental visits. So he referred us to a pedodontist (that's the spelling the lady gave me, it doesn't seem right, but...) Zach will go to this other doctor who specializes in this. He will most likely be knocked out so they can just do all four at once. I HATE the idea of my baby being sedated like that. He's just too little. My heart is breaking. His first "real" dental experience (not just the "smile" appointments they give small children) and this is what he gets. You should see his face. We couldn't keep him from chewing on his cheek, so he looks like he has a huge jaw breaker stuffed in there. If it's still like that in the morning, I'll get a picture and post it here.
So there it is. My bid for The Worst Mommy Ever award. I think I have a pretty good shot at it.

My Prayers Are Answered!

Friday morning I got a wonderful phone call from Ty. His first words to me were, "Are you ready to move to Idaho?" I said, "Serious?" and started cheering like a little girl. "When?" Then things got a little nerve wracking. He has to report to his new job on the 23rd of June. That's THREE WEEKS AWAY!!!
So, I am alternating between moments of pure joy and moments of sheer terror. We have wanted to go home since Ty got out of the Air Force, but the jobs just weren't there. Once we'd been here in Vegas for about 2 months, we knew we wouldn't be staying here. It's just not for us. I know that thousands of families raise perfectly sane, well-rounded children in Sin City, but I would really rather not risk it. Just too much "sin" for my delicate sensibilities. (Sorry, I slipped into Austen mode there for a second.) That and the school system sucks. So now, I have to get my entire house packed, prepare to have our stuff moved, deep clean this house all in less than 25 days. Oh! Then there's the matter of going from a year-round school to a traditional 9 month one. Samantha will be missing an entire month of 3rd grade, so I am stressing whether the school will "graduate" her to fourth. The housing market sucks and we are upside down on our mortgage, so selling is not an option. We have to find a renter and hope that they are clean, considerate tenants who won't destroy our house while we're 700 miles and 3 states away. Plus, if the house is vacant for any time between us moving out and the tenants move in, we have to worry about someone breaking in and stealing the appliances. Tristan is throwing a completely shocking fit because he won't be in middle school in Idaho, he will still be in grade school. (Shocking because he has been whining about moving to Idaho for the past 4 years!) We are staying with my parents for an indeterminate period of time, and I have a new puppy. One who is having a heck of a time with house breaking. Ohh the humanity! I am sure everything will turn out okay, but until this is over, I will be going out of my mind!
Thankfully, there is a member of our ward who is a Realtor. He really likes Ty and is offering to help us find tenants for little to no cost. That will really help out.
Okay, I am done venting for the moment. Truth is, I am willing to bear all the stress if it means we will be closer to our parents. The kids deserve to be close to their grandparents
and the grandparents deserve to be close to their grandchildren. We deserve to live in an environment that is healthy for young children. And we deserve to live in a place where the color green is abundant and there are four seasons. It's nice to have prayers answered.